Hill of Crosses

Three quarters of the Lithuanian population are Catholic, and they have great respect and devotion for the cross. You’ll see crosses everywhere you look, in streets, parks, countryside. They erect them to remember special events, baptisms, weddings and other historic milestones. They are especially proud of the Hill of Crosses in Siauliai where they placed thousands of crosses. But they also had experienced the atrocity of the Soviet oppression which destroyed many of the crosses, especially between 1961 and 1975. Yet the people persisted with placing even more crosses on the hill. By 1980, finally the Soviet persecution ended. Thousands of pilgrims visit this hill and they calculate there are presently over 200,000 crosses, which remind them of what they’ve been through as a nation – tragedies, joy, hope, sacrifice and faith, failure and redemption.